ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — a division
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. roll — a list
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com